POV: You Agree to Fake-Date at a Wedding and Accidentally Catch Feelings

So last month, I got a text from an old friend, Ada.

We weren’t super close, but we’d shared a few laughs back in uni, mostly over jollof rice disasters and who could roast lecturers better.

She messaged:

“Hey, random question… Are you free next Saturday? I need a plus-one for a wedding. Long story.”

Now, I’m not usually one to fake anything involving lace, owambe, or matching outfits. But boredom had been dealing with me hard that week, and besides… Ada was cool. So I said yes.

She sent me a Pinterest board for our outfits. The theme? Champagne and emerald green. I won’t lie, the vibes were giving.

Fast forward to Saturday, I showed up in my best agbada, feeling like a Yoruba prince in exile. Ada looked stunning—like the kind of girl you’d expect to see slow-motion-walking out of a Nollywood dream sequence.

From the gate, I knew something was up. Everyone kept giving us that look. The aunties smiled too hard. The uncles kept pulling me aside like I was family. One even whispered, “So you’re the one we’ve been hearing about!”

I replied with, “Yes sir,” like I knew what was going on.

By the time we reached the reception hall, I’d figured out the plot: Ada had told her family we were dating.

I leaned toward her and asked, “What exactly did you tell them about me?”

She sipped her wine and said, “That I finally found someone who doesn’t ghost me after two weeks.”

That hit harder than I expected.

We played the part. Held hands. Laughed at everything. Even danced a slow couple’s dance when her mum dragged us out.

But the wildest moment came during the “couples’ game.”

Yes. They had a whole segment where couples had to answer questions about each other. I tried to dodge it, but Ada pulled me in, whispering, “Just follow my lead.”

First question: “What’s your partner’s favorite food?”

I guessed: “Indomie with boiled egg and pepper stew.”

She blinked. “How’d you know?”

Lucky guess. Maybe intuition. Maybe I’d noticed things years ago and didn’t realize it.

Next question: “When did you two start dating?”

She paused. Looked at me. I said, “Three months ago.”

She smiled and repeated it to the host.

After that round, she held my hand tighter.

We sat outside later that evening, away from the music and noise, under those wedding fairy lights that make everyone feel nostalgic for a love they’ve never even had.

She looked at me and said, “You know… you’ve been the kindest fake boyfriend I’ve ever had.”

I laughed and replied, “Well, you’ve been the most convincing fake girlfriend.”

She nodded. Then said softly, “Maybe next time, we try the real thing?”

I froze.

Because I wasn’t expecting that.

And truth is… I didn’t want to say no.

So here we are. Weeks later. Still talking. Still laughing. Still pretending—but maybe now, less fake, more “figuring it out.”

Dating these days is wild. But sometimes, all it takes is one pretend moment to make something unexpectedly real.

And yes, we’ve got another wedding next month.

This time… no lies needed.